iWorld
Vodafone Idea loses 2.81 million wireless subscribers in March: Trai
Mumbai: Bharti Airtel added 2.25 million wireless subscribers in the month of March, as per data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Reliance Jio added 1.26 million wireless subscribers and Vodafone Idea lost 2.81 million wireless subscribers during the same period, the data revealed.
The total number of wireless subscribers increased from 1141.53 million to 1142.09 million in March. The wireless subscription in urban areas decreased from 625.19 million to 624.23 million, however, wireless subscription in rural areas increased from 516.34 million to 517.86 million during the same period.
As per Trai data, there were 1021.29 million active wireless subscribers during the month of March accounting for 89.42 per cent of the total wireless subscriber base. Reliance Jio had 378.95 million active wireless subscribers followed by Bharti Airtel at 355.78 million and Vodafone Idea at 226.08 million. BSNL had 59.82 million active wireless subscribers.
As per information from 653 operators, Trai reported an increase in total broadband subscribers from 783.37 million to 788.30 million in March. Out of these, 759.87 million were mobile device users, 27.25 million were wired subscribers and 1.18 million were fixed wireless subscribers i.e. Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Max, Point-to-Point and VSAT (very small aperture terminal).
The top five broadband service providers were Reliance Jio at 409.28 million, Bharti Airtel at 215.27 million, Vodafone Idea at 122.48 million, BSNL at 27.19 million and Atria Convergence at 2.08 million and accounted for 98.48 per cent of the market.
The top five wired broadband service providers were Reliance Jio at 5.28 million, Bharti Airtel at 4.53 million, BSNL at 3.85 million, Atria Convergence Technologies at 2.08 million and Hathway Cable and Datacom at 1.11 million.
The top five wireless broadband service providers were Reliance Jio at 403.99 million, Bharti Airtel at 210.75 million, Vodafone Idea at 122.48 million, BSNL at 23.34 million and Intech Online at 0.21 million.
The number of telephone subscribers increased from 1166.05 million to 1166.93 million. Urban telephone subscriptions decreased from 647.76 million to 647.11 million and rural subscriptions increased from 518.29 million to 519.82 million in March.
Wireline subscribers increased from 24.52 million to 24.84 million in March.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
